The instrumental band [mp3com-artist]Pelican[/mp3com-artist] may not be a household name, but they do leave in impression. The Chicago group weaves sonic tapestries in the post-metal fashion, but shows little patience for the genre’s largely ponderous rhythms. [mp3com-artist]Pelican[/mp3com-artist]’s drums are rambling and lively, which changes the very meaning of the songs.

Yesterday we featured The Melvins, and today we feature the favorite Nirvana songs from Larry Herweg, drummer of Pelican–who also has an interesting story to share about Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

Herweg is also the drummer who jams out with the bass player in his other band [mp3com-artist]Aeges[/mp3com-artist]. When we asked him to give us his favorite Nirvana songs, he immediately told us he had an interesting story to share about the video to Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

“Crazy that 20 years later, I’m writing about this classic album, and my bass player in my band Aeges is the opening Converse foot-tapper in the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video,” says Larry.

Pretty cool–let’s take a look!

Now for his five favorite songs:

1.“Scentless Apprentice” – because it has one of the best opening drum beats of all time and the song is one of Nirvana’s heaviest, meanest moments in their career.

2. “Drain You” – my choice track on Nevermind, again this is based a lot on the drums. Dave’s playing was so catchy and powerful. The verse in this song is what does it for me. The vocals soar and the drums pound, leading you into the song’s dark bridge and eventually back out to the song’s glorious opening verse.

3. “In Bloom” — another song I love because of the drums. The song starts with Dave’s tough as hell flam fill that he revisits numerous times throughout the song and it never gets old. Just try air drumming to it, it rules. The chorus is also so catchy it’s ridiculous.

4. “Milk It” — one of their uglier songs and has one of the most absurd guitar solos in rock history.

5. “Heart Shaped Box” — by the time this album came out I was a junior in high school. I became more obsessed with music. All 3 of these Seattle bands did their follow up albums and I enjoyed each one more than their previous works. “In Utero,” “Superunknown” and “Dirt” showed each of these bands at their peaks. But I can remember playing this song on repeat for hours, while playing Sega Genesis in my old bedroom. Later that year I got my first drum set.

“Even now, Dave continues to be my favorite drummer,” Larry says about Grohl. “Over the years, his work with [mp3com-artist]Queens of the Stone Age[/mp3com-artist], [mp3com-artist]Killing Joke[/mp3com-artist], [mp3com-artist]Them Crooked Vultures[/mp3com-artist], [mp3com-artist]Foo Fighters[/mp3com-artist], etc is just as classy, tasteful, and powerful as his work was in Nirvana. Thank you for all the timeless music!”